ISRO Launch Live : PSLV to carry 104 satellites into space for World Record

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch a record 104 satellites in one go on Wednesday morning on board a single rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The space agency began the countdown for the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)’s 39th flight on Tuesday after the Mission Readiness Review committee and Launch Authorisation Board gave its approval for lift off, ISRO said. Scientists had commenced filling of the propellant for the rocket, it added.

The mission

PSLV will first launch the 714 kg CARTOSAT-2 Series satellite for earth observation and then inject 103 co-passenger satellites, together weighing about 664 kg at lift-off into polar Sun Synchronous Orbit, about 520 km from Earth.

ISRO scientists have used the XL Variant – the most powerful rocket – earlier used in the ambitious Chandrayaan and during the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM).

Why is it significant ::

If the launch is successful, India will become the first country to launch the most satellites – 104 – in a single rocket. Currently, the Russian Space Agency holds the record with 37 satellites being launched in one go in 2014.

The US space agency Nasa launched 29, while Isro successfully launched 20 satellites in one go in June 2015.

The payload ::

The PSLV is carrying a 714 kg main satellite for earth observation and 103 smaller ‘nano satellites’ which would weigh a combined 664 kg. In total, the entire launch will be carrying a satellite mass of about 1,378 kg.

Of the 101 co-passenger satellites, 96 of these belong to USA, and one each are from ISRO’s international customers Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates.

Two of India’s nano satellites, weighing about 30 kg, will also piggyback off the rocket.

The nano-satellites belonging to international customers are being launched as part of the arrangement by Antrix Corporation Ltd (ANTRIX), the commercial arm of ISRO.

Cartosat-2 Series, which is the primary satellite, will be similar to the earlier four satellites in Cartosat-2 Series.

Cartosat Series and India’s nano satellites ::

The Cartosat satellites are being launched to provide remote sensing services.Images sent by it will be useful for coastal land use and regulation, road network monitoring, distribution of water and creation of land use maps, among others.

The Cartosat-2 Series has a mission life of five years.

The two Indian nano satellites INS-1A and INS-1B were developed as co-passenger satellites to accompany bigger satellites on PSLV.

The primary objective of INS (ISRO Nano Satellite) is to provide an opportunity for ISRO technology demonstration payloads, provide a standard bus for launch on demand services.